November 1, 2014

Spiral Fossil Disc Meets Micro Macrame: Art Jewelry Elements Component Reveal

Micro macrame necklace by Sherri Stokey featuring a ceramic disc from Starry Road Studio.

If you follow the Art Jewelry Elements blog (and if you don't, you really should!), you know they do a monthly component challenge and giveaway.  I was one of the lucky recipients this month and I received one of Karen Totten's Spiral Fossil Discs!

I have a bit of an obsession with Karen's work.  Do you  remember the necklace I made with one of her bird and branch sets in this post?  Her ceramic pieces are amazingly detailed and beautiful and she continually comes up with new and different things to keep it interesting.  Here are some Starry Road Studio beads I have in my treasure trove:

Ceramic beads and pendants from Karen Totten of Starry Road Studio

See what I mean?  Anywho...(sorry, I got distracted by the beads for just a minute there) Lindsay Starr was also lucky enough to get one of the discs this month (and yes, her stuff is another obsession of mine as demonstrated here and here).  She had her piece finished soon after she got the disc and shared it with me.  I like to keep pushing my limits with macrame to keep it interesting, so I thought I would see if I could mimic what Lindsay did with beads, but with knots.  This is her piece (photo used with her permission):

Beaded necklace by Lindsay Starr of Phantasm Creations.

In an effort to mimic but not copy her design exactly, I started with an antler tip that my dad gave me and knotted around it.

Deer antler tip with macrame knotting attached to a ceramic disc.

I've seen this technique before in some South American macrame designs, but I hadn't ever tried doing it myself.  They typically use a waxed cord which gives it a little tackiness and I wasn't sure how the process would work with the unwaxed nylon cord I use.  I made sure I knotted my first row very tightly around the antler (which is actually the bottom row in this photo).  The antler angles out a little bit at the top, so that first row of knotting actually holds the antler in place.  

Linsday chose a y-shaped yoke for the top strap of the necklace in order to cover as little of Karen's disc as possible.  I chose to do two separate straps of macrame, but I kept them narrow around the disc for the same reason.

Macrame knotting attached to cermamic spiral fossil disc by Karren Totten.

In keeping with the sort of rustic, organic feel of the piece, I chose some carved bone beads to use directly above the disc in a light color to pull in the color from the antler tip.  From there I added some basic square knots in the teal colored thread.

Micro macrame necklace by Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macrame.

The beads I used in the strap are recycled glass from Ghana. They are made by crushing discarded glass and adding a colorant.  The powder is poured into molds and the stem of a plant is added, which burns away during the firing leaving a hole for stringing.  The beads are fired in a wood burning earthen oven.  The look is crude and primitive and perfect for this project.

Half knot sinnets make spiral micro macrame knotting

I used simple half knot sinnets for the bulk of the necklace straps.  The spirals catch the light in interesting ways and draw the eye to their twists and shadows.

Deer antler pendant micro macrame necklace from Knot Just Macrame

At the end I added a few more glass beads and a simple brass hook closure.  I think it's a fun piece and I've really enjoyed the study in "compare and contrast" with Lindsay's necklace.  I hope you'll visit her page, then stop back to tell me what you think.  What similarities did you spot?  What differences?  Which elements worked better with beads and which did you like better with knots?

I hope you will also join me in visiting the blogs of the other participants to see what each of them has done with the Spiral Fossil Disc:

Monthly Winners

 
AJE Blog Team




24 comments:

  1. Wow! Sherri these are stunning - just stunning...what more can I say!

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    1. Thanks, Lesley! I love what you did with the disc and usually I'm not drawn to the warmer neutral colors. I should have know you'd be the one to convert me :)

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  2. I'm so happy that you were inspired to try something new! Love the little tidbits you included, like the South American origin of the technique you used...for some reason I've never thought about the origins of macrame!

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    1. It was great fun playing off your piece - thanks for letting me!!

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  3. love the antler with the donut, you really captured the spirit of the bead!

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    1. The donut really seemed to call for those rustic, organic elements, didn't it?

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  4. when I first saw your post I was like, wow, they are sure on the same page! Then I realized it was a challenge within a challenge - excellent! You did an amazing job, I love the wrapped antler piece and the recycled beads are perfect as well! Thanks so much for playing along this month!

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    1. We do actually think enough alike that it would (or should) scare you, but I did do this one on purpose :) I had a lot of fun on this challenge!

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  5. Stunning! I love the knotting around the antler, that's really clever :) I love how you've reflected Lindsay's design in your own style too, they look great together!

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    1. I always like to see this type of challenge where everyone starts with the same component. It's amazing to me to see the different way each person approached it!

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  6. How fun that you were inspired by Lindsay's design, then did a totally different spin on it. Yours is so much more earthy, rustic, and primitive in style. This is a great example of how artists can inspire each other without copying. Love it!

    Thanks for participating in the art jewelry elements design challenge!

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  7. I love this one too, similar to Lindsay's design but so different at the same time. I love the soft neutral colors but so dramatic at the same time. Really beautiful!

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  8. Wow wow wow! I am so in love with this. Thank you for creating this beautiful piece with my spiral fossil disc.

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  9. Another 'wow' Cherie, this is so pretty ,beautiful colours, beautifully composed piece. I love it.

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  10. This is rather different from your usual work but stunning as always!

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  11. Can I just say 'oh wow!'..this is a stunning piece! Your macrame work is amazing! Beautiful!

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  12. I always look forward to seeing your creations because I love your macrame and how you keep it fresh combining with other elements. I really loved Lindsay's necklace, and it's fun to see you riff on it. I love it as well. The colors are so different from hers, yet still lovely. Hers has so much texture, but so does yours in a different way. I love being able to compare the two.

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  13. Looking at your piece boggles my mind, and makes my brain hurt! And I mean that ALL in the best way! I like your palette, the beads interspersed, a visual rest. Very cool, indeed.

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  14. You are such a genius! All of your creations are a work of art...truly inspiring. Thank you!!

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  15. I came across this post while doing some research for my own creating. I also include various pieces of bone into my jewelry and other artworks. I love the way the antler is wrapped and would like to try that out myself. Do you have any advice or a direction you can point me in to learn how to do that particular knot? I am very eager to learn.
    Love your work! Such an inspiration

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